RASMUSSEN SYNDROME

Rasmussen syndrome may be difficult to diagnose in initial stages when it may have no distinguising features from other causes of focal motor seizures. Other conditions to consider in the differential diagnosis include:

• Mitochondrial disorders - epilepsia partialis continua may occur in MELAS (mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke) or in Alpers' syndrome.
• Antibody-mediated epilepsies - usually not limited to one hemisphere
• Acute encephalitis due to varied etiologies, presenting with hemiplegia and seizures